//------------------------------// // From Sweet to Sour // Story: My Little Investigations: Wonderbolts Under Fire // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// January 15, 12:52 Ponyville Sugarcube Corner *** After our amazing spa session, Blaze and I headed right over to Sugarcube Corner. As I suspected, Rainbow Dash was right outside waiting for me. "Hey, you made it!" she said cheerfully. "And with quite a bit of time to spare, too." A sly smirk crossed Blaze's face. "Well, doy! It wouldn't be like my big sister to be late for something." "Your sister, huh?" said Rainbow Dash thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then you must be Blaze." "Methinks my reputation precedes me," said Blaze with a chuckle. "How'd you know?" "Oh, that's easy. I know everything about the Wonderbolts!" said Rainbow Dash proudly. Yeah, I'm not touching that one with a ten-foot pole. Knowing the smart alecks out there, some of you have already come up with snarky comments on your own. "Well, it's nice to meet such a big fan," said Blaze. "You must be Rainbow Dash. My sis has told me a lot of great things about you." "Really?" said Rainbow Dash, blushing a little. "Like what?" Blaze's smile broadened. "Like how you stood up to her at the Academy and..." "Alright, Blaze. Knock it off," I growled, my own face turning red. "What are you trying to do, embarrass both of us?" "Nope, just you!" Blaze said jokingly. I sighed. "I'm, terribly sorry about that, Rainbow Dash. Blaze was just teasing me. She does that sometimes when we're not on duty." "N-no prob. I-I mean it's fine, ma'am," said Rainbow Dash, clearing her throat. "Anyway, come on in! Pinkie's just getting everything set up." "Yeah, sure thing," said Blaze with a wicked smile. "By the way, I've got a lot more embarrassing stories about my sis if you want to hear them." "Keep it up, Blaze, and I'll tell her and the rest of the cadets about how you coerced me into letting you lead the charge against a dragon attacking Ponyville and..." "Okay, shutting up now," Blaze whimpered, her face turning a bit pale. I snickered. Blaze might know several ways to annoy me, but she really can't stand the taste of her own medicine. With the banter out of the way, we followed Rainbow Dash inside. *** The inside of Sugarcube Corner was just as lively as the rest of the festival. There were games, music, and a rather impressive spread for the buffet. Everyone there just looked like they were having a great time. "Ah, Capitaine Spitfire! There you are!" Pierre le Grand strolled right up to me; a griffon I did not recognize by his side. He wore a chef's hat and a long scarf. Like Pierre, he also had a mustache, only his was long and wiry. "Capitaine Spitfire, allow me to introduce you to my brother, Gustav," said Pierre, indicating the griffon chef. "He is very much in support of Ambassadeur Honor Bound's attempts to strengthen pony-griffon relations. He helped with the catering for this festival." "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, mademoiselle," said Gustav with a bow. "Pleasure's all mine," I said. "So, you're looking forward to the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet?" "But of course," said Gustav. "As a griffon who has always called Equestria home, I could not be more excited. A chance for griffons to compete in le Equestria Games is truly magnifique. Therefore, in celebration, I have worked with Mademoiselle Pinkie Pie to create a culinary masterpiece that is sure to please the palate of griffons and ponies alike." "My brother's pastries are some of the best I have ever tasted," added Pierre. "Rest assured, you will not be disappointed, Capitanie Spitfire." "Sounds good," said Blaze, licking her lips. "So, where is it? I want to get a piece before Soarin' gets to it." "Patience, mademoiselle," said Gustav with a chuckle. "It shall be unveiled in a few moments. Mademoiselle Pinkie is just putting on the finishing touches." I guess this was the big event Rainbow Dash was talking about before. "So, you're enjoying the festival so far, Captain le Grand?" "It is quite interesting, yes," said Pierre with a shrug. "The ponies of Ponyville certainly know how to make us griffons feel welcome." "That's because everyone is welcome in Ponyville!" A familiar voice suddenly came out of nowhere and startled me. At it turned it, the voice belonged to Pinkie Pie; another one of Rainbow Dash's friends. Like with Applejack, I don't know a whole lot about her. All I know is that one time she took a hot air balloon all the way to the Wonderbolt Academy just to give Rainbow Dash a care package. "Ah, Mademoiselle Pinkie. Is everything ready?" asked Gustav. "Just about!" said Pinkie gleefully. "I finished setting up the trays, and they should be ready to serve!" "Splendid," said Gustav with a smile. "Please excuse me, Mademoiselle. I must attend to our pièce de résistance." "Although trust me, I don't think anyone here will be able to resist," said Pinkie with a giggle. "Truth be told, it was kinda hard for me to resist while setting things up. Luckily, I met this great pony who knows all of these silly jokes that kept my tummy distracted. She seemed awfully familiar, too. Don't know why." Pierre gave Gustav a quizzical look. Gustav merely shrugged. "Her mind is a mystery to me as well," said he. "But it matters not. We should get ready to..." "SURPRISE~!" I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as Surprise appeared in our midst randomly. "This is a great festival, huh Cap?" she said with a huge grin. "Um, yeah. It sure is," I said. "Oh, hey Surprise!" said Pinkie with a wave. "You wanna help me and Gustav with the unveiling?" "Thanks, but I'm alright," said Surprise. "We should talk more later, though. You're funny!" "So are you!" said Pinkie. "Alright, seeya later!" With that, Pinkie bounced off while Gustav followed. "I like her. She reminds me of me before I joined the Wonderbolts," said Surprise. Pierre scoffed. "Are your ponies always like this, Capitanie Spitfire?" he inquired. "Trust me, Captain le Grand. They wouldn't be Wonderbolts for long if they were," I said. "Besides, Surprise is a special case." "I have no comment," said Pierre with a shrug. I can't really describe it, but something about Pierre's attitude rubbed me the wrong way. It was almost as if he was determined to prove that the Proud Pride were better than the Wonderbolts. Why? It didn't really matter who won the Ghastly Gorge Gauntlet, did it? The whole thing was just a prototype for the Equestria Games. "Fillies, gentlecolts, and griffons! Your attention please!" Before I could pursue the matter, Pinkie Pie and Gustav came out of the kitchen wheeling in a large trolly with a white cloth draped over it. Gustav cleared his throat. "For doing such a wonderful service to all our races, Mademoiselle Pinkie Pie and myself have prepared a special treat for le Wonderbolts and le Proud Pride," said he. "Behold!" With that, he pulled back the cloth. Sitting on the trolly were several trays of several different kinds of tarts. I have to say, they looked simply divine. "We present for your delectation, Full Spectrum Tarts," said Gustav, blowing a kiss to the air. "Bon appétit." "Alright! Mini pies!" Soarin' cheered. I had to laugh. That was just such a Soarin' thing to say. Pierre, however, was less than amused. "Doesn't he know that there is a difference?" he asked no one in particular. "I wouldn't let it bug you. Soarin' usually just says whatever pops into his head," I said as we made our way to the trolly. We all helped ourselves to a couple of tarts (except for Soarin', who helped himself to a whole bunch). Pierre wasn't exaggerating about his brother's talents. The meringue tart I picked up was simply exquisite. "My compliments to the chefs," said High Winds, munching down a chocolate tart. "You have truly outdone yourself, Gustav," said Kierra. Soarin' tried to say something, but it was all lost due to the fact that he was talking with his mouth full. From what I could tell, he certainly looked like he was enjoying himself. While we enjoyed our tarts, I decided to take the time to look for Twilight Sparkle; the last of Rainbow Dash's friends. According to Rarity, she was looking into the pony who ordered the Mare-Do-Well costume. She was my best bet to finding out who my stalker was. I managed to find her talking to Raindrops. I walked over and cleared my throat. "Hmm? Oh, hello ma'am," said Raindrops. "Are you enjoying the festival?" "I most certainly am," I said with a smile. "I can tell that you all put a lot of work into it." "Well, this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about, ma'am. When she organizes a party, you know it's gonna be good," said Raindrops. "Duly noted," I said. "Anyway, Raindrops. Do you mind if I have a word with Twilight Sparkle for a moment?" "Huh? Oh, not at all," said Raindrops. "Let's pick this up later, Twilight. I'll be sure to know more by then." "Let's hope so," said Twilight. Something about that exchange got my attention, but before I could ask, Raindrops left. "So, what did you want to see me for?" asked Twilight. I cleared my throat. Once again, this was going to be difficult. "Well, it's like this," I said, dipping my voice. "Do you know anything about the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well?" "Well, yeah. How do you know about that?" asked Twilight. "I heard your friend Rarity gossiping about it at the spa," I said. "I think I might have a stalker that dresses in that costume." "A stalker?" Twilight inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, but I don't know who it is," I said. "It might be connected to that order Rarity got." Twilight knitted her brow. "It's certainly a possibility," she mused. "I'll let you know if I find anything." Dammit. I couldn't get the evidence from her directly. I needed to leave things in her hooves, or else she'd start to get suspicious. And like I said before, I was not going to rope any other ponies into these attacks. "I'd appreciate that," I said. "I'll tell my secretary to expect a letter from you." "Augh!" As soon as I wrapped up my discussion with Twilight, I heard a loud moan from Soarin'. When I looked up, I was dumbfounded. Soarin' looked like he was in pain, and a half-eaten tart was lying at his feet. "Oh no, oh no!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Is there a doctor in the house?!" "I'm a doctor!" said a white Earth Pony, rushing onto the scene. Pinkie gave the pony a blank stare. "Well, duh. I know you're a doctor, Nurse Redheart. I was asking if there was a doctor in the house." Nurse Redheart simply rolled her eyes and began examining Soarin'. "I don't get it," said Surprise, rubbing her head. "Soarin' never gets a stomachache. He's like a bottomless pit." Surprise was right. Soarin' has one of the biggest appetites amongst the Wonderbolts, if not the biggest. Something fishy was going on here. "I need to get him to the hospital to run some tests," said Nurse Redheart. "Can somepony help me carry him?" "Wave Chill, you're with me," I said. "We'll handle this, ma'am. Just tell us where to go." Wave Chill and I made a makeshift stretcher out of the cloth Gustav used to cover the tarts, and we followed Nurse Redheart to the hospital. I breathed a deep sigh. The day started out so well. Why did it have to end so badly?